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Mattis warns N Korea of 'massive military response'

Defence chief James Mattis says US does not seek total North Korea 'annihilation', but it has 'many options to do so'.

04 Sep 2017 05:41 GMT

Secretary of Defense James Mattis makes a statement outside the White House in response to North Korea's latest nuclear test [Mike Theiler/Reuters]

The United States will launch a "massive military response" to any threats from North Korea, the Pentagon chief has said after the Asian country conducted its most powerful nuclear test yet.

James Mattis' strong warning came just hours after North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test - the most powerful blast to date.

North Korea's 6th nuclear test

"Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming," Mattis said on Sunday.

In his remarks, Mattis said: "Kim Jong-un should take heed of the United Nations Security Council's unified voice. All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so."

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the hydrogen bomb test on Sunday morning, ordered by leader Kim Jong-un, was a "perfect success".

It was North Korea's first nuclear test since Donald Trump took office, and marked a direct challenge to the US president, who hours earlier talked by phone with Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, about the "escalating" nuclear crisis in the region.

Trump also suggested putting more pressure on China in hopes of persuading Beijing to exert more effective leverage on its neighbour.

Trump said on Twitter that the US is considering "stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea".

Such a move would have a big impact on China.

The US imports about $40bn in goods a month from China, North Korea's main commercial partner.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was calling his counterparts in Asia, and Trump's treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said he was putting together proposed new sanctions for Trump to consider that would seek to cut off trade with North Korea.

It is unclear what kind of penalties might make a difference.

Lassina Zerbo, head of the UN test ban treaty organisation, said sanctions already imposed against North Korea are not working.

China's official Xinhua News Agency said President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, meeting on the sidelines of a Beijing-led economic summit, agreed "to adhere to the goal of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, have close communication and coordination and properly respond" to the test.

'Profoundly destabilising'

The nuclear test also drew strong condemnation from other leaders worldwide.

The UN Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the international response to the test.

Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, said that "at this stage, it does look like everything is going to be left to the Security Council", adding that "it appears the Trump administration is waiting to see what will come out of Monday's meeting before deciding whether to take any unilateral action".